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- MLB fans had were stunned to learn that Juan Soto had turned down a $350 million extension.
- The interesting part is that fans were shocked not so much by the news that he turned it down, but by the offer itself.
- Read more news about Major League Baseball here.
Without any doubt, outfielder Juan Soto is one of the best players in Major League Baseball and deserves to be paid as such. Just don’t tell that to the Washington Nationals whose 13-year, $350 million contract extension offer Soto rejected before the lockout.
At just 23-years-old, Soto is a generational talent that has proven from the age of 19 that no stage is too big for him.
Over his brief four year MLB career, Juan Soto has averaged 34 home runs, 109 runs batted in, 11 stolen bases, 130 walks, and has a career OPS of .981 – a mark that if he can maintain will be the 14th best all time.
For all of that tremendous success, Soto has been paid around $11 million … TOTAL.
To put that into perspective, as of right now, 97 Major League Baseball players will make more than that this season.
Names like Kevin Kiermaier, Mark Canha, A.J. Pollack, and Lorenzo Cain are on that list.
Juan Soto, thanks to Major League Baseball’s very generous arbitration proceedings (that was sarcasm), will earn $15 million in 2022, making him the 69th highest paid player in MLB (nice).
Anthony Rendon will make $36 million in 2022. Francisco Lindor will be paid $34 million. David Price will make $32 MILLION!
So what is Juan Soto worth?
Soto, 23, finished second in NL MVP voting last season and is off to a historically great start to his career, slashing .301/.432/.550 in four big league seasons. He's due to hit free agency after the 2024 season, when he'll just have turned 26, and could smash contract records.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 16, 2022
Mike Trout signed a 12 year, $426 million contract. Bryce Harper, Soto’s former teammate in Washington, signed a 13 year, $330,000,000 contract. Francisco Lindor (him again) signed a 10 year, $341 million contract with the New York Mets.
On Wednesday, news broke that Juan Soto had turned down the aforementioned 13 year, $350 million contract extension offer from the Nationals before the lockout began.
Juan Soto: “Yes, they made me the offer a couple of months ago, before the lockout we have in baseball”.
"But right now, me and my agents think the best option is to go year after year and wait for free agency. My agent, Scott Boras, is in control of that situation," he added. https://t.co/C2Rdw9kW6B
— Enrique Rojas/ESPN (@Enrique_Rojas1) February 16, 2022
Baseball fans, as they almost always are these days, were pretty disgusted with Major League Baseball’s leadership and owners when they heard the news.
That’s about $150 million short boss
— District Sportstalk (@DCSports_Talk) February 16, 2022
Complete lowball
— raremetalfz (@ecardona70) February 16, 2022
I mean 12 yrs 500mil has to be the starting point right?
— Bo Knows⚾️&🥋 (@bosummers28) February 16, 2022
Low-ball city. (Plus you know Lerner had a bunch of deferments in there). His next contract will start with a 4 (minimum). https://t.co/jn9RZ532Ax
— Daniel Wexler (@WexlerRules) February 16, 2022
Future yankee
— fuck chapman (@ballin2fun) February 16, 2022
He’s a met.
— jon (pronounced john) (@joncanse) February 16, 2022
Dodgers soon
— ™️_🌾 (@Sincerely_m0n) February 16, 2022
Soto and Harper reunited in Philly confirmed pic.twitter.com/SLIVo01snA
— mlb.updates365 (@mlb_updates365) February 16, 2022
Not enough money IMO gonna be the first 500 million in baseball https://t.co/xhJhef80lO
— Juan Casas (@juancasas2923) February 16, 2022
— DVSAR (@DiegoaRiveros) February 16, 2022
The (not so) funny thing is, Juan Soto can’t do anything about the offer because according to Major League Baseball’s archaic salary rules, they own Soto’s rights for the next three seasons no matter how good he does.